With its open-air observation deck, rotating restaurant, and mini-museum, the Space Needle orients visitors with the views, cuisine, and history of the Emerald City. Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the 605-foot-tall Space Needle was originally meant to preface architectural trends of the future. Today, the giant-flying-saucer-on-legs stands alone as the most recognized symbol of Seattle.
Located on the grounds of the Seattle Center, the SpaceBase gift shop greets visitors to the Space Needle. This is where you can purchase tickets for the 41-second elevator ride to the restaurant, the observation deck, or both. SkyCity offers upscale dining area that serves Pacific Northwest entrees. Don't worry about getting "skysick." The restaurant rotates slowly--a full 360 degrees in exactly one hour. Directly above the restaurant, is the observation deck. An indoor section is filled with displays of Space Needle facts and trivia. The outdoor deck features a 360 degree view of the downtown Seattle skyline, Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Elliot Bay and surrounding islands.
If you're in Seattle for a snowstorm, don't change your plans to visit the Space Needle quite yet. Snowflakes fall at just 3 mph, so traveling down in the elevator at 10 mph makes the snow appear to be floating upwards. Talk about enchantment in the Emerald City.
